Chapter 10

“That was fun!” Eloise said as they made their way back to the school.

“Yeah,” Alastair agreed, while inside, he was troubled by what Avi said—partly because he was already discovering his friend’s words to be true.

He had, indeed, attracted the wrong kind of attention straight from his arrival at Emberstone just by being new; by not being what people had become familiar with. It was bothering him more than he’d expected.

“We should get together with them again,” Eloise said, not picking up on Alastair’s distraction of thought. “Catch up for real. That story about Sebastian and the gargoyle costumes really took me back.”

“Right,” he murmured, thinking back to all their time hanging out in House Primordium, home to the Elemental Mages. They’d been so lighthearted back then, even with the threat of Sebastian’s gang, even with the mountain of schoolwork always bearing down on them.

Now, things felt darker, heavier. Either the world changed or they had.

Students were due to arrive at the school the next day. Alastair tried to retire early and get some rest, but sleep eluded him. He could picture Quicksilver and his staff flittering around the castle all night, decorating and preparing things for the morning. There would be all the usual Emberstone traditions: dinner in the Main Hall, a speech from the headmaster, welcome-back parties in all the Houses.

Egads—he was the headmaster. He would have to deliver the speech. Did he even remember what Ozelius’ speeches had once been like?

Whimsical, maybe. Uplifting. A little generic. The kind of thing that might comfort a lonely twelve-year-old finding themselves suddenly far from home.

As he lay there, eyes wide, he reminded himself that this wasn’t his first term as headmaster—just his first at Emberstone. He was good at this kind of thing, and had made plenty of the same types of addresses at Glimmerglass. Even so, he stayed up half the night rehearsing in his head, yet was still awake when dawn broke through the tall windows of his room.

Here we go.

He dressed quickly, wearing the same formal robes he’d worn to the Board of Governors meeting, and went to his office to meet Quicksilver.

“T-minus three hours,” the elemental said as Alastair climbed the three steps through the archway. “They are technically not allowed to start arriving until noon, but we always get parents showing up around eleven. Traditionally, we partition them in the Entrance Chamber.”

“Hm.”

Alastair remembered some of his friends showing up with their parents to the first day of school, but his own family always just packed him onto the train and sent him off with a little money for school supplies. They thought it taught him independence—and no one had the time to take him all the way to Watermere.

“The headmaster is not expected to greet them,” Quicksilver went on. “You are welcome to, of course, but Headmaster Ozelius never did. He thought it lacked gravitas, and would never appear before students until the Reception Banquet.”

“Six?” Alastair asked, confirming the start of the banquet.

“Yes, sir. Six o’clock this evening.”

Alastair sighed. At Glimmerglass, he’d always met with the parents and children in person. Here, he wasn’t sure what to do. It felt strange to hide out in his office all day, watching people arrive through his window. Then again, he also didn’t want to break with Emberstone tradition. He settled for camping out on the headmaster’s balcony overlooking the Main Hall. Quicksilver set up a small folding table for him in an out-of-sight corner, and Alastair distractedly tried to write his speech as students started to trickle in.

They all looked like a sea of flames in their orange Emberstone robes. They shrieked at each other as old friends reunited for the first time since the start of summer, and he could hear the strained tones of anxious parents trying to maintain order.

Much the same as at Glimmerglass, just with more money involved.

Eloise was apparently in charge of escorting the youngest students around this year, and he was tempted to pop out of his hiding spot and surprise her just as she’d done to him the last time they’d gathered. He suppressed that maniac impulse, and tried to focus on his speech.

What did Emberstone students want? They were tough—he recalled that much. Competitive. Savvy. A message of unity, perhaps? Acknowledge that he was new? Hopefully, the school had sent them notice, and they wouldn’t be expecting Headmaster Ozelius.

By mid-afternoon, Alastair had a rough draft written and could wait no longer. He folded up his parchment, slid it into his pocket where he still kept the note from Ozelius, and headed downstairs to greet people. The older students eyed him with skeptical interest, and he understood their curiosity. It wasn’t every day that a total unknown appeared at school wearing senior faculty robes. But with all the hubbub of the day, no one had time to speculate on who he was.

Some of the oldest students arrived parent-free, but most had their guardians, and all were loaded down with luggage. Some brought enchanted steamer trunks like Alastair’s, trotting along happily behind them, or they’d charmed their bags to float beside them. A number of first-years looked on anxiously by the front gate, and Eloise was desperately trying to herd them inside.

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“Ally!” she said, surprised, as he approached. “I thought we wouldn’t see you until later.”

“Thought I’d try something different. How are they doing? First day of school’s tough.”

One of the girls’ fathers, a stocky man with no neck and a bulbous nose, reached out to shake his hand. “Alastair Meade?”

“That’s me.”

“They sent out a letter last week,” the man said. “You’re our new headmaster? Pleasure to meet you. Real pleasure.”

“Just interim—”

“Even so. Edie here’s excited about school. We know you’ll be here to guide her through her first year.”

The little girl didn’t appear particularly excited. Her face was pale and drawn. Alastair remembered the feeling well—intimidated by the size of the castle and severely overstimulated. But he’d dealt with worse at Glimmerglass.

“Your name’s Edie?” he said. “Good to meet you. I’m Alastair.”